Of Ice Skating and Marshmallows
by Lollipopdiego
Summary: "Love is all you need," Jill said, and kissed him again. Then she shoved a marshmallow down his shirt. Marlin/Jill. SS gift for notmyplatypus.


A/N: Maybe I should start posting fanfics again. Maaaaybe. On the bright side, Merry Christmas to **notmyplatypus! **:) All the best!

* * *

Peppermint air bit Jill's rubicund cheeks as she strolled through the streets of Forget-Me-Not Valley. It was the epitome of winter with snowflakes swirling from dappled clouds. Snow decorated houses like glittering icing. Lights were entangled amongst naked branches in hues of cheery and cerulean and emerald.

She smiled. She naturally expected a perfect Starry Night.

Her date, Marlin, was waiting at the Goddess Pond by the time she trudged up the path. She took care, for had frost covered the caked trail and it wouldn't be the first time she nearly cracked her skull. But she called his name and he turned with a grin gracing his normally troubled face.

The plan was to skate on the Goddess Pond. They weren't the first one to test the surface for thin ice and were convinced it would give them no trouble. Jill anticipated a lovely date and a dinner at Marlin's house afterwards.

What she didn't expect, however, was the guitar slung over his broad shoulder. Her surprise was evident by the laugh escaping her mouth. His expression was bashful.

"You're a man with many secrets," Jill said teasingly.

He flushed. "Actually, this isn't a profession at all."

She stared at him in astonishment. He proceeded to shrug the guitar off his shoulders then gently leaned it against a sloping tree trunk. His embarrassment was adorable, yet unexplainable but before she could push for further reason, he asked, "Are you ready?"

Jill decided to let it go. From her rucksack she procured worn out ice skates. "Yup!" she said, but her main concern wasn't for herself. "Are you?"

His expression was of annoyance. Not to her, but the topic she breached. The constant reminder of his limitations was a nuisance, especially because Marlin constantly pushed himself over the fragile line. As much as her heart swelled at the thought of being with him, the thought of him, she couldn't forget the dark cloud that surrounded him.

"Let's not think about that tonight," he pleaded. "Can we have a night where we just forget?"

Silently, Jill told herself that was impossible. But instead she smiled and agreed. Even a quick glance at him filled her with undeniable happiness and she'd do anything to make him smile.

They tied their laces and as Jill pulled on her skates, Marlin tugged her to her feet. She linked their arms together, wobbling on her skates.

Her heart soared as they stepped on the ice. The rink was cool and their blades scratched against the surface, sending flurries of shredded behind their feet.

Somehow her gloved hands found his and they easily folded over each other. Although the material was a barrier against our skin, she could feel the heat radiating off him. Absentmindedly he stroked his thumb over hers.

Then he twisted to smile at her. Sea-green eyes twinkled under the soft moonlight, meeting her warm chestnut eyes.

"You look beautiful tonight, Jill," he whispered, mint breath tickling her ear. He then attempted to kiss her cheek and missed, lips crashing against her brow.

Jill laughed and he turned bright red. "Hey, it's harder than it looks."

She kissed his icy cheek and his blush deepened. "Shut up."

"You're adorable," Jill said in response.

Seizing both of his hands within hers, she led him around the pond. Together they glided. Nobody was around to disrupt their skating dance and although they were only holding hands, the intimacy set the blood running through her body.

She wished she had more moments like this, secluded by the lake and hiding from the troubles of the world. This was flawless – the snow falling around their bodies as they twirled along the pristine pond.

Marlin was quietly chuckling, but it was enough to make her perk up.

"What?" Jill asked.

"Nothing," he said.

They stopped in their tracks, entangled in each other's arms. For a long minute, he was wordless. Every time he exhaled, it released a puff of vapor in the frigid air. She wanted to poke him, to get an answer out of him. But Marlin was giving her a look of absolute awe and disbelief. It was intense and endearing.

"What?" she questioned again and this time she blushed under his gaze.

"Nothing," Marlin repeated, but he sounded as if it were everything.

"Please?"

"It's just…" he paused. He pressed a chaste kiss against her forehead and then said, "You're perfect. And you mean happiness to me."

Jill could feel her heart beat faster and wondered if he could hear it. On the tip of her tongue she wanted to say, "You complete me," but before she could even say so, a guitar strum interrupted them.

Surprised, the couple turned towards the direction where Marlin had laid the guitar.

Jill said, "Oh my goodness."

Marlin muttered, "It worked?"

Jupiter winked at her. "Have fun, Jill!" he called to her as he plucked the guitar strings.

From Marlin's perspective, he was only seeing the strings vibrating by itself like it was directed from a supernatural force. However, Jill perceived the friendly Harvest Sprite putting its musical talents to use. He was strumming out the tune of a Beatles song, zipping around the instrument with a trail of sparkles behind him.

Jill looked to Marlin, the comprehension of the guitar's role dawning on her. "You actually thought leaving an instrument and fifty tokens out would work?" she inquired him.

"I was trying to be romantic," Marlin admitted. "Did it work?"

"It worked," Jill said and kissed him hard.

They continued to make their way around the pond. Jupiter continued to play songs from decades ago, which to her surprise Marlin began to sing. He sang along to the Beatles and Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole and Billy Joel. Completely silent, Jill marveled in his husky singing, the mellifluous inflection of his voice.

"You should sing more often," she told him and tapped his nose.

"I'll try," he said and winked. "But that hasn't happened for the longest time."

Then what happened almost seemed to give her a heart attack. The next second he was beside her, singing Billy Joel and the next second he was submerged in the bone chilling water. Ice splintered at her feet.

Her first thought was, "Stupid people told us it was safe," but her next thought came out in a frustrated stream of curse words.

He was thrashing in the water. His olive skin was turning a fish belly white. Jill realized that if the water were any cooler he could have easily pulled himself out, but it probably felt like icicles were jabbing into his skin and spiking chills through his bloodstream. A fear overcame her because of Marlin's illness and how long recovery would take.

Jupiter zoomed to hover by her ear. He was glancing at Marlin curiously, but the situation soon dawned on him. "Get him out of there!" he yelled into her ear. Overwhelmed, she flicked him away. "I'll grab some healing sprites!"

"Come on, Marlin!" Jill said urgently and firmly grasped his ice-cold hand. Slowly, she hauled him out of the water. If it were anyone else, they would have been shivering. But Marlin seemed as if he were going to faint. "We're going to get you home."

* * *

She normally would have stopped to admire the atmosphere around them. She would have pointed out to Marlin the Christmas lights twinkling in the trees, laced with layered frost and powdered snow. People were bunched in thick coats with a hot chocolate in hand, chattering the night away. It was ravishing.

Jill was carrying Marlin's guitar and skates while he slowly stumbled behind her, weakly smiling. They greeted villagers left and right, but they could not stop to explain why Marlin's lips were a pale blue.

"I don't need help," she told a blonde villager – Flora? Muffy? – who had exclaimed in concern. "He just fell into the water and needs some blankets. His house is just right over the bridge."

Then second they entered his house, Marlin changed into oversized pajamas then curled up into his bed. Jill quickly related the incident to his sister, who then toasted rice cakes in the oven and stuck tomato soup in the pot. Jill also began to steam milk, shaking the can of hot chocolate mix. Vesta tossed her a bag of marshmallows.

"This isn't going to make things worse, is it?" Jill asked worriedly. She glanced into his bedroom. To her relief, he was taking deep breaths and staring at the ceiling with his body giving slight quivers.

She liked how he was snuggled under the covers, blankets drawn up to his chin. He seemed so cozy and almost irresistible. If Vesta weren't in the same building, she'd kick off her bulky sweater and join him.

"If you didn't bring him in right away, it would have made his immune system worse," Vesta told her. Vesta then gave her one of her famous wide smiles filled with pearly teeth and a loud chuckle. "You're an awesome girlfriend, June."

"Thanks." She smiled.

"It's really no big deal," Vesta reassured her. "But I'm sorry your Starry Night got ruined."

Jill shook her head. "It was still perfect," she said, and reminisced about how they skated around the pond as one and the guitar's pacific echoes. She thought of the way he looked at her, and implanted his expression in her mind. She would never forget the tenderness in the look he gave her.

She finished mixing hot chocolate into a steaming mug of milk, still giddy about their Starry Night until the ice collapsed under him.

"Hey, why don't you bring this to him?" Vesta presented her the heated food. Her mouth watered and she was certain Marlin's would too. "Don't forget the marshmallows!"

To prove she most certainly would not forget the marshmallows, Jill popped one into her mouth.

Jill made her way to Marlin's bedroom, the tray of hearty tomato soup and moist rice cakes and rich hot chocolate emitting a heavenly aroma that filled the house. Aware that the food was coming, he perked up as soon as she entered.

"Hello," she said.

"Hey," he said. "What's up?"

She didn't answer. She was distracted by Jupiter hovering over the bed. Behind the Harvest Sprite there were about three healing sprites adorned in purple and sparkles in colors of holly and red. They were dancing around Marlin, throwing the magic over his head.

Jill stared open mouthed at them as they circled Marlin, who had no idea what was happening above his head.

"What?" he asked.

As they finished their healing ritual, one of the sprites crashed into another. It was a domino effect. They clumsily toppled over one another, plummeting to the blankets.

"Oh my goodness," Jill said.

"What?" Marlin asked again, slightly agitated.

As soon as Jupiter landed face down where Marlin's stomach supposedly was, he said, "He'll be fine, Jill!" and snapped his fingers. Then they disappeared.

"Don't worry about it," she said.

Thankfully, the Harvest Sprites' magic was working. The color was already beginning to return to his cheeks and he had stopped shivering.

Marlin was avoiding her eyes. As Jill laid the tray on the adjacent table and sat on the edge of his bed, he blurted, "I'm sorry."

"What for?" Jill asked, confused.

Marlin reached for the hot chocolate, appearing guilty. He couldn't meet her steady gaze. "Your Starry Night wasn't perfect," he said.

"Shut up," she said. "It was." Because it really was.

Her words bounced off of him. Disheartened, he continued. "I tried so hard. I always do. And I always drag you down."

"What do you mean?" Jill frowned. "You don't." Because he really didn't.

He sipped his mug, trying to find words to say. It was clear his feelings were inexplicable. During this time she watched his defeated stance, his slumped shoulders. Instead of the usual pity people experienced, she felt love. She wanted to be his strength and the person to lean on. She told him this.

Finally Marlin replied, "I hate having cancer. I hate that you always have to watch out for me even though I always need it and I feel like I'm a burden."

Any memory of Marlin being another weight on her shoulders was non-existent. "You're not a burden," Jill said. "I don't mind."

"I hate who I am," Marlin told her quietly, looking everywhere but at her. He was clenching and unclenching his fists around his mug. "I wish I could be better for you."

"You're perfect to me," she said simply.

"How?" Also, simply.

"It's possible to love you for who you are," Jill replied, which took him by surprise. "I can't think of being with anyone else. If who you were really bothered me, I wouldn't be standing here right now."

He gave her one of his rare, toothy smiles. "Actually, you're sitting," he said. "But thanks, Jill. You're the best."

Marlin finished his hot chocolate with a final gulp. When he lifted the mug away from his mouth, she could see a line of chocolate lined above his lips. She giggled and wiped it away.

Then she kissed him hard, a gentle hand on his chest. As his mouth opened, she thought that she would taste like sweet marshmallows while he would taste like silky hot chocolate. Upon realization, she broke the kiss. "Oh."

"Oh?" Marlin echoed, his fingers caressing her cheeks.

Jill reached for the bag by the table. "I forgot the marshmallows."

She threw three of them at him. "Three for _I. Love. You_."

To defend himself, he threw a rice cake at her. "Sacrificing my precious rice cakes," he said. "Now that's love."

"Love is all you need," Jill said, and kissed him again. Then she shoved a marshmallow down his shirt.

* * *

A/N: Straight fluff and some humour - a perfect Christmas combination in my opinion. Extracted from one of my many Christmas fantasies with a certain boy, I hope you're left feeling fuzzy and excited to celebrate the holidays! Additionally, I'm not sure if you guys caught a couple of Billy Joel and Beatles references, but they were there! Once again, Merry Christmas! :)


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